Aftermath
by nebula2
Summary: For those who survived The Second Wizarding World they must find a way to pick up the pieces and move on. For the Weasley family that means recovering from the loss of a beloved member. For some this is harder to do then others but when one brother falters can the others show him that he is indeed loved and help him find meaning to his life again.
1. A Visit To London

**AN: So, I started this story years ago and never got past chapter 2. As my muse has been wanting to work on this lately, I decided to post chapter 1 and see if it gets an audience or not. It's set after Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows and I don't promise to keep in line with the Epilogue to the book. We'll see where my muse takes me. If you read and enjoy it, I hope you'll review!**

* * *

**Bill's POV:**

"As we commit his body to the ground, let us not dwell on the feeling of loss . . ."

I tuned the preacher out. I didn't need his consoling words. Nothing he could say would change anything. Fred was gone. Killed during the Death Eaters attack on Hogwarts. Just one of many good people who lost there lives that night. The only consolation was that he died knowing he was making a positive difference. His death helped us to win the war against the Dark Lord.

Beside me, Fleur cried silent tears. Despite her complaints of the twins pranks and tricks, I knew she had grown fond of not only Fred but George too. I slipped my arm around her and pulled her close, taking comfort from her presence as I hoped my being near was a comfort to her.

I glanced around. Quite a few people were present, all with a haunted look to their eyes. It seemed as if we had all been to countless funerals over the last couple of weeks following the Dark Lord's defeat. Across from me, stood the surviving members of the Order of the Phoenix. We had all known the risk we were taken when we had joined but that didn't make losing my friends, comrades and brother any easier.

To my right, Ginny stood with her head hidden in Harry's shoulder. I didn't have to see her face to know she was crying. Beside Harry, stood my baby brother Ron. Like Fleur, silent tears ran down his face as he stared at the casket in front of us. Hermione stood beside him, her hand in his. Every so often, she reached up and wiped tears away with her other hand.

My father had my mother gathered in his arms. Her heart-wrenching sobs were audible to everyone gathered around the grave site. The twins had given her more trouble than the rest of us combined but I know that was the farthest thing from her mind right now. No parent wanted to have to bury their child. I knew she would be grieving for quite awhile.

To my left, Charlie stood, stone faced, staring straight ahead. He had one hand resting on George's shoulder. George wasn't crying now, I think he had shed all the tears he could for Fred in the days leading up to today. As much as I missed Fred, I knew it was nothing compared to the loss that George was feeling. The two of them had been inseparable. The Twins. That's how we had all thought of them. Wherever one of them was, the other one wasn't far away. In a way, George now had to forge a new identity for himself. I knew we'd all be keeping a close eye on him for awhile and was glad that he was staying at The Burrow for awhile instead of going back to the joke shop in Diagon Alley.

George wasn't the only one I was worried about though. Percy seemed to be taking Fred's death as hard, if not harder, than George. I was having trouble understanding this, considering that Percy and the twins had always seemed to be at odds with one another. For as long as I remembered, the twins had seemed to take special delight in getting in a laugh or joke at Percy's expense. As such, Percy was always complaining about what a nuisance the both of them were.

Still, it had been Fred who had first accepted Percy back when he had showed up at Hogwart's after three years of being at odds with us. He had been with Fred during the battle. The two of them had been fighting Death Eater's side by side when Fred was killed. He had seen our brother die.

You would think that at a time like this, Percy would have turned to his family for support. Comfort. Consolation. It hadn't happened though. Instead, Percy was keeping us all at arm's length. It was like he was cut off from us, like he had been before the battle. Our parents had tried to reach out to him and Percy hadn't let them comfort him. That in itself, had caused Mom more tears. She had cried for Percy many times over the years since he had left for London. I knew not being able to comfort him after she thought she had gotten him back was not easy on her.

Today had been the first time I had seen him in a week. He had been at Penelope Clearwater's funeral, whom he had dated when they were at school. I had gone to as many of the funeral's of old schoolmates as I could, wanting to pay my last respects for what they had given for our cause. I remembered seeing Percy there, standing silently next to Oliver Wood. I had joined them, but Percy had stayed out of arm's reach. Had barely said two words to me.

I thought he had looked bad that day. Dark shadows had been visible beneath his eyes. The exhaustion had been evident on his face. He looked worse now. His eyes had a sunken look to them, which only darkened the shadows. He was as white as a ghost and had visibly lost weight. I wasn't sure how he was standing on his own but he was.

Percy stood apart from the rest of us. I could tell he was trying not to cry, as he was spending more time looking up at the sky than anywhere else. What was going through his head? Just how bad was he hurting?

Movement to my right made me look away from Percy. Leaning heavily on Dad, Mom was walking toward the casket. She placed a single rose on top of it, before dissolving into a fresh bout of tears.

I watched silently as others approached, placing roses and carnations on the casket. I blinked back tears of my own. It wasn't that I was ashamed to cry, I wasn't but I also knew it was my responsibility to be strong for my wife and siblings. I was the oldest. My time for grieving would come later when I was alone.

Mom and Dad made their way back from the casket, heading toward where my siblings and I were standing. She hugged Ron first, then Ginny. Keeping my one arm around Fleur, I held my mother close as she wrapped me in her arms.

After she hugged me, she moved on to Charlie and then George. I noticed she held George a little tighter and a little longer than the rest of us. When she finally let go of him, I saw her turn to approach Percy but he wasn't there any more.

I looked around for him. He was walking alone across the cemetery. His shoulders were hunched and his head bent. It was strange to see him like that. He had always walked so tall and proud. Part of me wanted to go after him right there and then, but I didn't feel right leaving suddenly. Not to mention, I didn't want to leave Fleur here alone.

* * *

It was late when Fleur and I finally Apparated in the living room of Shell Cottage. After the burial, my family and close friends had gone back to The Burrow. It had been a somber occasion but it seemed right for us to be together. Percy had been on my mind the whole time though.

Our hands full of the leftovers Mom had sent with us, we headed silently for the kitchen. I placed the containers on the counter and then turned to Fleur.

"Will you be okay, if I left for awhile."

"Left?" Fleur asked, surprised. "Left for where?"

"London," I told her. "I want to try talking to Percy."

A look of sympathy crossed her face and she nodded. "Of course. Go. I'll be fine."

"Thanks," I told her, leaning down to give her a kiss.

Moments later, I found myself in the alleyway beside the building Percy's apartment was in. I headed toward the street, and up the front steps of the building. It wasn't long before I was standing in front of the door to Percy's apartment.

It had been quite awhile since I had been here. Two and a half years to be exact. I had come trying to get Percy to at least respond to Mom's letters. The visit had ended in an argument and me storming out. I hoped this wasn't the outcome of this visit.

I reached out and pressed the doorbell. I could hear the bell ringing within the apartment. I waited for some kind of indication that the ring was being answered. Silence greeted me. With no intention of admitting defeat that easily, I reached out and pressed the button again.

Standing there, I was starting to think that maybe he really wasn't home. Maybe he was out, though if that was the case I wouldn't know where he would be. Given as upset and withdrawn as my little brother had been lately, it just seemed as if he would be here.

I looked up and down the hallway. It was empty. Deciding to determine if my brother was really out or just ignoring the doorbell, I pulled out my wand. "Alhamora," I said softly, waving the wand at the door knob. I heard the click of the tumblers as the door unlocked.

Tucking the wand back in my robe, I pushed the door open. The apartment was dark. "Percy," I called out, as I stepped inside, groping for the light switch.

As the light came on, I was surprised by the scene. Things lay scattered everywhere. That in itself disturbed me as Percy had never liked messes. He liked things neat and clean. It was yet another indication that something was wrong. I pushed the door shut behind me as I glanced around the room. There was no indication that Percy was currently home.

I headed toward the kitchenette. The scene there puzzled me more. There was a dirty pan on the stove. A half empty glass sat on the table next to a plate. On the counter sat another plate and a bowl. If he wasn't doing housework, shouldn't there be more dishes?

Turning around, I walked back through the living room. The door to the one bedroom in the apartment was halfway open. A soft light shone within the room. Knocking softly, I pushed the door open.

My brother sat on his bed, leaning against the head board. He hadn't changed from this morning, and his eyes were puffy from crying. The tear tracks on his cheeks were another indication of that. He was hugging a pillow, his knees drawn up to his chest.

"Usually if someone doesn't answer their door it means they want to be alone," I heard him say, softly as he continued to stare straight ahead.

"I think we've left you alone long enough, Perce," I replied, as I walked slowly toward the bed. What I wanted to do was to rush forward and gather him in my arms. Somehow, I didn't think Percy would be receptive of that action though. His reaction to even my slow approach supported that thought, as Percy hugged the pillow even tighter.

I sat down at the foot of the bed, not wanting to crowd him but not about to leave. Percy was clearly hurting both physically and emotionally. I didn't want to think about what would happen to him if left alone. Looking at him, huddled into a ball, against the headrest, I made a promise to myself. The only way I was leaving this apartment was with Percy coming with me. I hoped I could convince him to come, however should it come to forcing him to come with me, I knew I wouldn't have a problem overpowering him.

"Mom said you declined going home to stay for a few days," I ventured, knowing beating around the bush too much would get me no where. "Why Percy?"

He shrugged.

"Percy, come on, talk to me."

"I can't. She'd only smother me."

"She's worried about you, Percy," I said inching forward. "We all are."

"Don't waste your time on me," he said softly.

"We care about you, Perce," I said moving closer to him. He tried to shrink further away from me but the head board was in his way.

"I don't know why. After the way I've acted and it's my fault . . .

His words trailed off as he started to sob. Taking a chance, I moved close enough to gather him in my arms. Just how thin he had become became all to evident to me, as I held the resisting form of my brother close. His thin frame felt as though it may break if I held him too tight.

~_His fault. What is he blaming himself for?_~ I wondered. ~_Is he blaming himself for Fred's death? I couldn't forget that Percy had been with Fred during the battle for Hogwarts. Did he feel that he could have done something more to protect our brother_?~

"Perce, don't hold it in. Talk to me. It'll help ease the pain if you do," I whispered softly to him.

"I wish it had been me," I heard him say through his tears. "No one would've missed me."

"You're wrong there Percy. We'd be grieving you just as much." I hadn't thought it was possible but he started crying harder. "Shhh . . . It's going to be okay," I told him.

I felt him trying to pull away again. "Let me go," I heard him say. "I don't deserve anyone's sympathy after the way . . .

"We all make mistakes, Perce. Let go of the guilt," I told him softly. "We want you back in our lives."

"After every. . ."

"Perce, it doesn't matter what you do. You're my brother. I'm always going to love you. I hate to see you hurting like this."

The words must have broken through to him. Finally, he stopped resisting me and let himself rest against me. His whole body shook with his sobs. His breaths were coming in gasps. "It's going to be okay," I told him again.

I'm not sure how long we sat there like that but eventually his sobs died away. Looking down at him, I saw that he had fallen asleep. Given how tired he had looked earlier, it didn't surprise me.

Being careful not to wake him up, I laid him down on the bed He looked so small laying there. I knew I had to protect him but I wasn't sure how to do that. How do you protect someone from themself?

Standing up, I started looking around the room. I planned on packing some of Percy's things and taking him back to my place. With any luck he wouldn't wake up until we were at Shell Cottage. It wasn't long before I had a small bag packed. I set the bag next to the bed and went to lock up the apartment before leaving.

I heard soft footsteps enter the room. I looked from the sleeping form of my brother, to the door way. Fleur was standing there, already in her night clothes. I could just make out her face in the dim light from the bedside lamp.

"Do you need anything before I turn in?" she asked.

"No, I'm fine," I told her from my spot in the chair next to the bed in our spare bedroom. It had been three hours since I had brought him back from London. Percy had yet to wake up and the last thing I wanted was him to wake up alone and have no idea where he was.

Fleur came over and leaned down to kiss me.

"Try to get some sleep," she told me, straightening up.

I nodded even though I knew I probably wouldn't get much sleep that night.

"And I made some chicken soup you can warm up, if he ever wakes up. You should try to get him to eat something."

"You're right. Thank-you."

Fleur started to leave the room and then hesitated. I waited, wondering what was going through her mind. Slowly she turned back to me. "Perhaps it's not my place, after al Percy is your brother, but maybe you should have a medi-wizard take a look at him. He doesn't look at all well."

A small smile came to my lips. I knew Fleur still felt a bit like an outsider when it came with my family. Her words right then portrayed that. I hoped with time that would change. "I appreciate your concern and I sent an owl to Rob Wood, asking him to come. He's an old friend and is now working in Paris. I figured a familiar face will get further with him than someone Percy doesn't know."

Fleur nodded. "Good night," she said again, leaving the room this time.

As she disappeared, I looked back down at Percy. Even asleep he didn't look at peace. His face showed the anguish he was feeling. The thin and pale features showed the physical toll those feelings were having on him.

I had no doubt that Rob would come. The two of us had been friend's since our first year at Hogwarts. Rob was like another brother to me. The question was, would Percy let Rob help him. My little brother had always had an independent streak. The last few years of isolation from the family would have only added to that.

I reached out, and let my hand come to rest against my brother's pale cheek. His skin was warm to the touch. I said a silent prayer that he wasn't getting sick on top of everything else that was going on. In his weakened state, that was the last thing he needed.

Percy's eyes fluttered, opened momentarily and then closed again. I stayed quiet, not wanting to disturb him if he was going to fall back asleep. I slowly pulled my hand away.

"Bill?"

The word was no more than a whisper and uncertain as he struggled to open his eyes. I debated what I should do. He really needed to rest and if I remained quiet there was a chance he would fall back asleep. At the same time, I didn't want to ignore him. Didn't want him to feel as if he was alone.

"I'm right here, Percy," I said, letting my hand come to rest on his shoulder.

"Where am I?" he asked, eyes only half opened.

"You're at my house. I thought it would be best if you stayed here for a few days."

"Don't tell Mom and Dad, please."

I had been expecting those words from him, given that he had said he didn't want to go home out of fear of Mom smothering him. I also knew our parents were worried about him. Would be even more worried if they went into London looking for him and didn't find him there. I had already made a decision and nothing my brother said was going to change that.

I shook my head. "I can't do that, Percy. They at least need to know where you're at. That you're safe. I already sent an owl to Dad telling him you were here," I told him. I saw him open his mouth to protest and hurried on, not letting him interrupt. "I also asked them not to come for now and if they do show up here, I won't let them see you unless you're okay with that."

Keeping my parents from seeing Percy would be hard if they chose to come, but I was determined to at least do that much for him.

He nodded slightly. Somehow I didn't think he had the strength in him to protest even if he wanted to.

"Perce, do you think you could try to eat something."

"I'm not hungry."

"When is the last time you ate?"

He paused and then shook his head slightly. He either couldn't remember or wasn't going to answer me.

"I'm going to warm up some soup for you," I told him getting to my feet. Even if all I got into him was a couple of spoonfuls it would be something.

* * *

"No! Fred!"

The scream woke me up out of my sleep. Beside me, Fleur sat up quickly. We both heard the thud that followed next and as I sprung from the bed, I cursed myself for leaving Percy alone. I had done so, because of his comment about our mother smothering him. I was afraid he would try to leave if he felt I was doing that. My room was only across the hall and he had been sleeping when I left. I suddenly wished I had stayed with him.

Rushing across the hallway, I entered the spare room Percy had been sleeping in. I turned the light on as I entered the room. Percy was on the floor, beside the bed, trying to free himself from the blanket he was tangled up in. I rushed forward and knelt beside him.

"Perce are you okay?" I asked, as I knelt down beside him, freeing him from the blanket.

"I was right next to him. It could've been me. Why wasn't it me?" Percy said, having pushed himself up off the ground with his hands.

"You'll drive yourself crazy trying to figure that out, Perce," I told him softly, as he moved into a sitting position. That was when I saw the blood now trailing down the side of his face.

"I'll go get something to take care of that," Fleur said, from the doorway of the room.

"I was back at Hogwarts. Fred was beside me and the two Death Eaters suddenly appeared. We dueled them and then they were both lying at our feet and then suddenly the wall was exploding and . . . it just all happened so fast."

"No one is blaming you. There wasn't anything you could do."

"I blame myself. He was my little brother I should have . . ."

"Perce, you can't protect your younger siblings from everything no matter how hard you try. I know, There are six of you that I try to look out for."

"I would have given my life it would have saved him," Percy told me, meeting my gaze. I could see the sincerity there. The regret. The helplessness.

"I know you would have Perce," I told him, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him close. His head was resting on my shoulder and though I knew the shirt I was wearing would be covered in blood, I didn't care. "Just like I would trade places with you right now in a heart beat if I could."

We were still in that position when Fleur came back. Helping him to his feet, I got Percy back in the bed. Fleur set the tray with the things she had brought back into the room with her, down on the night stand on the side of the bed opposite of me. She reached out with a wet cloth to start wiping the blood away. I saw Percy flinch, whether it was from just somebody touching him or pain, I wasn't sure. Fleur continued the task, trying to be gentle as possible, I slipped my hand in my brother's, trying to reassure him that everything was going to be okay.


	2. New Reality

**_George's POV:_**

I woke up to sunlight streaming around the blind covering the window in my old room at The Burrow. Immediately I glanced over at what should have been my twin's bed knowing that it would be empty. Visions of the lowering casket from the funeral the day before was still very vivid. It was like a bad dream from which I could not awake.

I took my eyes off the empty bed, unable to look at it any longer. Instead, I stared up at the ceiling unwilling to close my eyes. Closing my eyes would only make the visions more vivid. It always did, which was why sleeping had been hard. The images didn't make it easy for me to fall asleep. Whenever I closed my eyes, I kept seeing Fred's vacant eyes as they stared up at me from wherever we happened to be at that particular moment. Saw Percy cradling the lifeless body of my twin in Hogwarts following Voldermort's orders for the Death Eaters to retreat. It had been Charlie and I, searching the castle for the wounded and dead, who had found them. I remembered throwing my arms around the both of them as I cried out in disbelief.

The only decent periods of sleep I had gotten since that night, were those that I had used a sleeping potion to aid with falling asleep. The fact that the potions gave me freedom from the vision made them very appealing. Though I knew I couldn't remain reliant upon their use, my desire to escape reality made that potion very luring. Knowing that the longer I used them, the harder it would be to stop, I had been trying not to use them however, Charlie had insisted that I take one last night. After watching them bury my twin yesterday I hadn't argued and now I felt rested but my heart was still heavy. I didn't want to move from the bed. I didn't want to face life without my twin.

I heard a soft creak and looked to see the bedroom door slowly creep open. A moment later I saw Ginny ease her heat through the crack.

"Oh, you are awake," she said. "Are you going to come join us for breakfast?"

"I'm not really hungry," I replied, knowing that I wasn't directly answering her question.

"That's not going to stop Mom or Chralie from making you eat something," Ginny replied, still standing in the space left by the crack doorway.

My little sister was right. I wasn't sure which one was worse these days - my mother or older brother. At first it had just been Charlie hovering around me - making sure I ate, trying to get me to try and sleep, giving me the sleeping potions when I hadn't been able to. After my mother had seemed to get over the shock of losing Fred, she had started fretting over me too, worrying about my health. I was sure losing Fred only enhanced her mothering instincts but I had noticed she had gotten worse as Percy started pulling further and further away from our family. Something that had started after I had blamed him for Fred's death only hours after Voldermort's defeat.

I regretted those words now, knowing that they weren't true. That Percy would have done anything to save Fred if he had been able to. I felt even worse knowing that my twin would have been upset with the accusation that perhaps if there was an afterlife that Fred was even now looking down at me in disappointment. Fred had accepted Percy's apology without question the day of the final battle. It had been his choice to pair up with Percy as we all split to engage the Death Eater's that day. I knew that it had been Fred's way of showing Percy that he forgave him and that my twin wouldn't want any of us, most of all me, mad at Percy for what happened.

I sighed. "You're right," I replied as I threw back the light blanket and climbed from the bed. I was wearing sweat pants and a long sleeved shirt and I had no intention of changing right now. "Let's go," I told Ginny walked toward the door.

Ginny pushed the door all the way open, a small smile on her face. Even that small smile seemed brighter than the sun coming around the edges of the blind this morning. There hadn't been much smiling done around here in a long time. We hadn't had much to smile about but suddenly I had a feeling that we needed to start searching for any little thing that we could smile about and cling to those things so that we could move on. Fred and I had devoted our lives to making people smile and laugh and somehow I knew I had to find a way to keep doing that if I was going to honor Fred's memory.

Unfortunately I couldn't see how I was going to be able to do that. How could I make others smile and laugh when I couldn't manage to do those things myself?

"George?"

I blinked and looked over at my sister as we walked down the steps together. From the look on her face, I would guess that she had tried to get my attention a couple of times.

"Yeah."

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked, her voice laced with concern and all traces of the previous faint smile gone from her face.

"I'm fine. Just lost in my own thoughts a bit, sorry," I told her. "What were you saying?" I asked wanting to change the topic.

"Well, it's a beautiful day and Ron, Harry, Hermione and I were thinking about packing a lunch and just getting out of the house for the day. Want to come with us?"

I shook my head. I had no desire to go anywhere right now though I did appreciate my sister's attempts at trying to cheer me up and get involved in things. I was about to let her know that when my dad's voice drifted to us from the kitchen.

"Molly, we discussed this last night. We need to respect Percy's wishes on this matter."

"I just buried one son, Arthur, and now I feel like I'm losing a second."

"You will for sure if you go rushing over there right now when he's looking for space. Give him time and he'll come around. At least we know he isn't alone and he's safe."

My mom didn't reply but I could hear the muffled sobs that followed. Reaching out, I put my shoulder across Ginny's shoulders and pulled her close. I knew this whole situation was hard on her even though she was trying to be strong through everything. My baby sister had done a lot of growing up in the last few years.

"I need to finish breakfast," we heard our mother say a little bit later.

Ginny and I took that as our cue that we could make our presence known. Before I could take the initiative to head toward the kitchen doorway, Ginny started walking forward. I followed her admiring her for managing to make her next words sound upbeat.

"Good morning. Look who I convinced to join us," Ginny said brightly.

My mom had her back to us as she hovered over the stove. She gave us a quick greeting without looking at us. My Dad however followed Ginny's example and forced a smile on his face as he greeted first Ginny and then me. I couldn't help but wonder if my family would ever truly be happy again.

"Glad you're feeling up to joining us this morning, George," my Dad said, holding his arms out to me.

"Morning," I managed as I walked forward into his embrace. Having felt as if I had loss a part of myself when Fred died, the hug reminded me that I wasn't alone. I still had family that cared about me and I needed to continue on with my life for them even. I needed to continue on for Fred, because I knew my twin wouldn't want me to just give up. I just wasn't sure how to do that right now.

I knew that I didn't want to go back to the joke shop Fred and I had opened together alone. That was the reason I had taken Mom up on her offer to stay at home for a little while. At the same time, I didn't want to give up the shop altogether. That was the last piece of my twin that I had left. Selling it just wasn't an option. That left finding someone to help me run it but I had no idea who at this point. I knew I could probably convince Ginny to help me out for a bit but she would be returning to school in the fall. Bill and Charlie both had their own professions and lives to go back to, though I wasn't sure when Charlie was going back to Romania. Probably not until things went back to some sort of normalcy around here. Ron and Hermione were so wrapped up in each other and their plans for the future that I knew he was out. That left Percy, and somehow I couldn't see my straight-laced older brother even in a joke shop, let alone help to run it.

"How are you doing this morning?" my father asked when he finally let me go.

"I'm hanging in," I replied, knowing that he would see through any false assurances.

"Good," Dad replied, clapping a hand on my shoulder before motioning toward the table.

The two of us joined Ginny at the table. Although I wanted to ask about Percy, I didn't want to upset my mother again, so instead I asked Dad when he was going back to the ministry, which was still in chaos after the war as Voldemort had managed to sway many officials to his side. Kingsley, the appointed Minster of Magic, and those under him had a hard task in front of them.

"I'm going to go in for a few hours this afternoon, as Kingsley asked me to meet with him," my father replied. "I'm officially starting back tomorrow. We've got a lot of work ahead of us in the next few weeks."

As Dad went on about what needed to be done within the ministry and by the ministry, I only half listened. I never had really been interested in the workings of the ministry and that hadn't changed. Still, it was better than sitting at the table with no one talking. By the time my mother was placing the plates of scrambled eggs, waffles, hash browns and sausages on the table Charlie, Ron Harry and Hermione had joined us at the table.

* * *

**Bill's POV:**

The sun was beginning to come up above the horizon by the time I left Percy's side again. It had taken a long time for my little brother to fall back asleep. Even then, it had been a fitful sleep. As it was, I didn't plan on leaving him long. His pale cheeks now had a flush to them and when I had touched my hand to his forehead, there was no doubt he was running a fever.

Shortly after leaving his side, I was walking back into the room. I placed the basin of ice water on the night stand and took out the vial of Mom's herbal remedy for fevers out of my pocket. Pouring some into a cup of cool water, I put the stopper back in the vial and placed it on the night stand. As much as I hated to wake him up, I also knew I needed to keep the fever under control.

"Percy," I called out to him. There was no response to my voice. "Hey, Percy," I said a second time, reaching out to touch his cheek this time.

Though he didn't open his eyes, I did feel him lean his head into the touch. "That feels cool," he murmured, giving me an idea of just how high the fever was.

"I need you to drink this medicine for me, Perce," I told him, dropping my hand from his cheek and placing an arm behind his shoulders to help him sit up enough to drink.

Percy opened his eyes, and tried to sit up but I could tell it was a struggle for him. The illness was making him weaker that he had been yesterday despite the rest he had gotten. I was starting to debate whether I should call on one of the local medi-wizards instead of waiting for Rob to come, not sure when he would be able to break away from his duties in London.

Though it took some coaxing, I managed to get him to drink the entire cup of water. Placing the glass on the bedside table I grabbed the washcloth from the water and wrung it out, placing it on his forehead.

"I'm sorry, Bill. I know you've got other things to do then take care of me," Percy said quietly, his eyes drifting shut.

"Nonsense," I replied. "I'm here for you as long as you need me, kiddo," I assured him, even as I reached for another washcloth to try to cool him off with.

Percy struggled to keep his eyes open while I sponged his face and neck with the second cloth. After several passes, I dropped the coth into the basin of water and reached for the first cloth. The wet rag had warmed from the heat emanating from Percy, and I dipped it back in the water and wrung it out again before placing it on his forehead again.

There was a soft knock on the door and I turned to see Rob Wood standing in the doorway.

"Rob," I said, feeling a wave of relief wash over me. "I'm glad to see you."

"I came as soon as I could," my friend replied, stepping into the room. "How is he?"

"Well, since I originally sent you the message, he's fallen out of bed and hit his head," I told him, motioning to the cut that Fleur had cleaned and bandaged as I got to my feet. "And now he's running a fever."

"Don't leave," Percy said, the words taken on a pleading tone.

"I'm just letting Rob have the chair so he can examine you, Perce," I assured him. "I'll stay right here, okay?"

Percy nodded and I stepped aside to give Rob room. My friend slipped easily into the chair I had vacated, placing the black bag he was carrying at his.

"Hey, Percy. I hear you've had a rough time of it lately," Rob said easily to my brother, as he took Percy's hand in his own, two fingers pressed against the wrist as he checked the pulse.

"I've definitely been better," Percy replied.

I was relieved that Percy was receptive to Rob's presence, as I thought for sure he would protest the medical attention.

"Yeah, it's a rough time for a lot of people, though you and your family's definitely have had it hard. I'm sorry about Fred."

"I don't want to talk about it," Percy replied.

"Fair enough. Oliver's been concerned about you," Rob continued, placing the back of his hand to Percy's cheek. "I'll tell him you're here if you're up for a visit."

Percy just shrugged.

"I'll take that as a yes then," Rob replied, reaching into his bag to pull out a stethoscope. "How about we get you sitting up," he said, after listening to several places on Percy's chest. With my help we got my brother in a sitting position and Rob listened to his lungs from the back. "Well the lungs are clear, that's good news," he said, as we settled Percy back in the bed.

I hovered nearby as Rob started asking Percy questions about eating and sleeping habits since the battle of Hogwarts. Though he was reluctant to answer them at first, Rob was able to coax answers out of him.

"I did give him some of my mom's herbal remedy to help with the fever a little while ago," I supplied when the conversation finally got back to when the fever started.

"Good. Keep giving that to him every four hours until the fever breaks," Rob told me, as he reached into his bag again. "I'm also going to give you two other potions. One will help him regain his strength. The other is a sleeping potion if he continues to have trouble sleeping because of nightmares," he said, pulling two vials out of the bag, sitting one on the bedside table and opening the other. "He should have this twice a day, doing a morning and night dose would probably be best," he continued to say, even as he measured out a dose and gave it to Percy. He placed the vial with the other one.

"For now, keep making soups for him," Rob instructed, glancing back at me before looking back at Percy. "And I want you eating regularly even if you aren't hungry and drinking fluids, understand?"

Percy nodded, even though I suspected I would have some coaxing to do on that regard for a while.

Rob glanced back up at me. "When he gets his appetite back there are no restrictions but with him having no appetite right now soups will probably be best."

I nodded.

"I'm going to borrow your brother for a minute, Percy," Rob said, as he dipped the cloth in the basin of water, wrung it out and placed it on Percy's forehead. He then picked up his bag and getting to his feet. "It won't be long."

"I'll be right back, Perce," I assured him, resting my hand briefly on his shoulder before following Rob out of the room. "How is he really, Rob?" I asked in a hushed voice after taking several steps from the doorway.

Rob met my gaze as he replied. "It's a good thing you went to him when you did, Bill," he told me. "I believe his emotional issues were there before Fred's death, and the battle and losing your brother has only made things worse. He's lost too much weight, is malnourished, and slightly dehydrated. Getting water or other fluids into him is of upmost importance. If you can't, taking him to St. Mungo's might be necessary and you and I both know that won't go over well."

"That's for sure. What about the fever?"

"I don't think it's serious. It's probably a bug that our immune system usually takes care of but because his body is so run down it can't fight it off. The potion I gave you will help boost his immune system. Getting the proper nutrients into him and the proper rest I believe will cure the physical problems. The emotional ones are a whole other issue. He needs to talk to someone."

I shook my head. "Percy is never going to agree to talk to a professional."

"Then you need to get him to talk to you or someone else in the family. Or perhaps Oliver can get him talking, whoever, but if he keeps things bottled up this is going to be an ongoing cycle."

I nodded in reply not sure what I was going to do to address that issue.

"I'll stop by against this evening but if you need me before then, get in touch."

"I will. Thanks again for coming.'

"Anytime, my friend," Rob said. "I know the way out," he said, nodding toward the door. "I think Percy needs you more right now."

I nodded and as Rob headed for the steps I made my way back to Percy's room.


	3. Decision Made

**George's POV:**

Slowly, I strolled back toward the house. Though I hadn't joined the others on their picnic I had decided to go outside and take advantage of the weather. The fact that my mother had been driving me crazy with her hovering had also played a factor. I understood that wanting to take extra care of me, as well as my other siblings, was her way of dealing with losing Fred but there was only so much a guy could take. Instead of saying something that would hurt her feelings I had told her I was going to take a walk.

The walk had actually turned out to be enjoyable. The countryside that I had grown up in hadn't really changed. With the exception of a couple of houses, like my parent's, having been rebuilt the area had been untouched by the war we had just gone through. With all the other changes in our world, there was something reassuring about that. It gave me hope that things would resume some sort of normalcy given enough time.

Though I knew we could never go back, I did hope that as many of the changes that had taken place with the Dark Lord's return would be able to be fixed. Perhaps that was another reason for me to go back to running the joke shop Fred and I had started. Diagon Alley was an important part of the wizarding world in this area and the war had all but shut it down. I knew other shop owners were now returning and working to reopen their businesses. Reopening the joke shop would be one way that I could contribute to the recovery efforts.

I still couldn't see myself returning to the shop alone though.

Approaching the house I saw my Dad outside their new home. He was untying a message from an owl's leg, one that I soon recognized as Bill's owl. With a feeling of dread tightening my chest, I quickened my steps. Perhaps it was the grief and depression I had been dealing with lately affecting my thoughts, but I couldn't help but think that an owl from my eldest brother could only bear bad news.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, coming to a stop not far from my father.

Startled my father looked up. It was clear that he didn't realize anyone was around. He hesitated a moment before replying, "Percy has taken ill. He started running a fever in the early hours this morning. Bill says Rob Wood has been out to see him and says there isn't any immediate danger, though he's going to keep a close eye on him."

"It's my fault. I never should have blamed him for Fred's death," I said, looking down at the ground as I fought to hold back the tears I could feel building up in my eyes. "It wasn't Percy's fault. I just needed someone to . . . " I let the words trail off, as my voice began to break.

The next thing I was aware of was my father's strong arms encircling me. "We all know you didn't mean that, George. We understand."

"I don't think Percy does," I sobbed, burying my head against his shoulder and giving up trying to hold back the tears. "If he did, he wouldn't be staying away from everyone. He looked terrible at the funeral and now he's sick . . . "

"Bill will take good care of him," my father assured me, rubbing one hand up and down my back.

I took a few minutes to gather myself before asking my next question.

"Ginny and I heard you and mum talking this morning. Does Bill want all of us to stay away?" I asked, breaking away from my father's comforting embrace so that I was able to look up at him.

"The message was addressed to your mother and me," Dad replied, one hand still resting on my shoulder. "Why?"

"I want to go see him. I want to let him know that I don't really blame him."

As soon as the words were out, I felt as though some of the weight I had been carrying around was lifted from me. I needed to make this situation right.

"I think the best thing for you to do then is to go to Shell Cottage and talk to Bill. See if Percy is willing to see you. I'll let your mother know where you got to."

I nodded. The last sight I saw before I Dissappareted was my father headed toward the rebuilt Burrow.

* * *

**Bill's POV:**

I looked up from my plate of food as I heard footsteps on the stairs. As I expected, Oliver soon appeared. My brother's friend from Hogwart's had been upstairs with Percy for the last hour.

"He's asleep for now," Oliver said, answering my unasked question as he walked in my direction.

"Did he open up to you at all?"

Oliver shook his head. "He kept asking about our classmates that did survive so I gave him what updates I could. I know Percy and pressuring him to talk about something isn't going to get us anywhere."

I nodded my consent. Though there had been a time that Percy would easily open up to me, those days seemed to be long past.

"I made sure I let him know I was willing to listen when he was ready to talk though. I'll stop by again tomorrow."

"That's fine."

"Are you hungry? I could get you something before you go," Fleur said, moving to stand up from the chair that she was occupying

"No, I'm fine, thank-you. I actually need to get back. There's a meeting of Puddlemere United tonight. Despite everything that happened they want to get the Quidditch matches going again," Oliver replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'm not sure how important it is in light of everything else but I do have a contract with them still."

"Perhaps Quidditch is what we need to bring back some sense of normalcy to our lives and perhaps having something to cheer for will help us recover as well."

"Let's hope so. I know I could do with a little cheerfulness in my life," Oliver replied. He glanced over at his shoulder at the stairs briefly before looking back in my direction. "If he should get worse . . ."

Though he had let his words trail off, I knew what Oliver had been going to ask. "You'll be one of the first people I inform," I assured him, though I hoped it wouldn't come to that. I wanted my little brother to start getting better not worse.

"Thanks. I can see myself out. I'll see you tomorrow then," Oliver said, stepping toward the door.

"I guess I'll head up there as soon as I'm done eating," I commented to Fleur as we heard the front door shut behind Oliver.

Since the long slumber when I had first brought him here to Shell Cottage, Percy's periods of sleep had been short lived before they were interrupted by nightmares. It was no longer a question of if a nightmare would disturb his slumber but a matter of when. I wanted to be there to comfort him when it happened.

"Perhaps I should sit with him. You look awfully tired yourself, dear," Fleur said, the worry clear in her voice.

"I'll be fine," I assured her, before putting another bite of my dinner into my mouth.

A knock at the door kept Fleur from making a response. We both looked in that direction.

"I'll get it," Fleur said, resting a hand on my shoulder as she stood up. "It's most likely Oliver," she added.

I nodded even though Fleur wouldn't be able to see the gesture. As I listened to her footsteps going toward the front door, I returned to my meal. I never did hear her open the door as Percy's scream from upstairs interrupted the silence in the house. Instantly I was on my feet and taken the steps two at a time.

By the time I reached my brother's bedside Percy was curled in a ball on his side, crying.

"Perce, I'm right here. Everything is going to be okay," I told him, announcing my presence, as I sat down on the edge of his bed. Reaching out, I touched his shoulder feeling him flinch at the touch. I didn't draw my hand away though as I wanted to offer him some kind of reassurance.

"I see him die every time I close my eyes," Percy whispered through his tears.

"It's just a bad dream," I told him, debating on whether to gather him into my arms or not. When the tears didn't subside after a couple of minutes, I finally reached down to pull him close. Unlike the day before, Percy didn't resist the gesture.

As I pulled him close to me, I felt Percy give a start and then quickly bury his face against my shoulder.

"Now I'm seeing him without being asleep," I heard him say, his fingers clenching my shirt tightly.

At Percy's words, reflex caused me to glance over my shoulder. For a second I thought I was seeing things and that Fred was standing in the doorway of the room. I soon realize though that it wasn't Fred I was seeing but George, who must have been the person at the door. Over George's shoulder I could see Fleur standing behind him.

"We heard the yell," George explained when he saw me looking at him.

I nodded and then turned my attention back to the brother who was desperately clinging to me. "It's okay, Perce. You're not seeing ghosts. It's just George."

"I can't face him again," Percy sobbed.

"It's okay, you don't have to," I assured him, rubbing his back in a circular motion as I glanced back over my shoulder at George. 'We'll talk in a bit,' I mouthed silently to him, not wanting to try leaving Percy right then with him clinging so desperately to my shirt.

George nodded, though I could see the hurt in his eyes. Behind him Fleur reached out for his arm and silently led him away from the room. As they left the doorway, I returned my attention to Percy. I held him, whispering consoling words to him occasionally, until he pulled away.

As he laid back against the pillows, I could see that his tear stained face was flush. Feeling his forehead I could tell the fever was still present. Reaching into the nearby basin of water, I retrieved the wash cloth. Wringing it out, I bathed his face and neck, before dipping it back in the water. Wringing it out a second time, I placed it across his forehead.

"Can I have some time alone?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, sure," I told him, getting to my feet. I took his hand in mine briefly, giving it what I hoped was a reassuring squeeze before walking slowly out of the room. As much as I hated to leave him, I remembered his words about not wanting to stay with our parents because our mother would smother him. The last thing I needed was for him to feel like I was doing that to him. In his condition, the last thing I wanted was for him to return to London alone.

Reaching the bottom of the steps I found a worried looking George sitting at the table, his hands wrapped around one of Fleur's teacups. From the look of it he hadn't drank any of the hot beverage. He looked up at me as I crossed over to the table.

"Did I just make things worse?" George asked worriedly.

I shook my head as I sank down in a chair across from him. "I don't think so. You just gave him a start, what with seeing you unexpectedly after waking up from one of his nightmares." I told him. "Though the question remains, why are you here?"

"Dad told me Percy was sick and I can't help but feel responsible. I never should have told him Fred's death was his fault. I know it wasn't. We were in the middle of a battle. Any one of us could have been killed. We all knew that going in, even Fred. I don't want Percy believing that it was his fault because of some careless words I said in the heat of the moment."

"I think hearing those words from you will help, but this isn't entirely your fault," I assured him, recalling some of the things that Percy had told me. "Percy's blaming himself because he felt he should have done more to protect him. The two of you are after all his younger brothers. There's always a sense of responsibility when it comes to younger siblings. You know that."

"Fred and I didn't exactly play the role of big brothers to Ron and Ginny too well," George replied, looking down at the table.

"Yes, you did. In your own way. When it came to something important, those two knew you'd be there for them. Just like deep down, despite the hard time the two of you always gave him, you and Fred knew that Percy had your best interests at heart even if you didn't want to admit it at times or didn't agree with his methods. If you didn't, Fred never would have been the first to welcome Percy back at Hogwarts and you wouldn't be here now."

"I just can't bear the thought of losing another brother," George said quietly.

Leaning forward, I reached across the table and rested my hand on George's wrist. "We're not going to," I told him. "He's not going to get better overnight, but we're going to get Percy through this."

"I hope you're right," George said despondently.

"Trust me. I've got no intentions on losing anyone else, anytime soon."

George nodded as he looked across the table at me. "Do you think he'll see me?" he asked in a pleading tone. "I know you asked Mom and Dad to stay away."

"At Percy's request, yes. He didn't even want them to know he was here. He doesn't want to feel smothered and you know how Mum can get."

"Do I ever," George responded knowingly. I had a feeling George was getting a dose of that himself right about now.

"He wanted some time alone but I'll go up and talk to him in a little while."

George nodded before picking up the tea cup and finally taking a sip of the tea Fleur had made him. "You look a little tired yourself, Bill," my younger brother said as he placed the tea cup back on the table in front of him.

I couldn't deny that I was tired. The last few days had taken an emotional toll on me, as I tried to be strong for my mother, wife and younger siblings. I had shed some tears but only when I knew nobody was watching. I had thought that once we got through the funeral I could get some rest but I hadn't anticipated the situation with Percy. Between him being sick and the nightmares, neither one of us was getting much sleep but I wasn't about to turn my back on him.

"It's been a rough couple of days," I admitted. "I'll be fine though."

"Did you get any sleep last night or today?" George asked, his gaze flickering past me to the staircase and I was sure the latest episode with Percy was on his mind.

"A little. Percy's nightmares aren't making sleep easy on any of us."

"I know about nightmares all too well," George commented. "I wasn't even there at the time and sometimes when I sleep I can see his death. I wasn't getting much sleep so Charlie finally slipped some sleeping potion in my drink one night. I used one again last night actually."

"Rob left some for Percy but he won't take it and I thought about slipping it to him but Percy is already so distant from us I think it might just make it worse."

I saw George nod. "Yeah, I remember that first night falling asleep thinking I was going to give Charlie a piece of my mind. Waking up rested made things a little easier for me to understand but like you said, none of us have really been close to Percy these last few years."

"George, if you could have seen him that first night when I went to his apartment. He was so fearful of being touched. Convinced that if he had died instead of Fred that it would have been easier on all of us," I said sadly, the scene replaying clearly in my mind.

"I guess we need to prove to him otherwise then," George commented sadly. I could tell by the tone in his voice that he was at as much of a loss as I was about how to go about that.

George was right. Proving to Percy that he was a loved and valued member of this family still despite everything that had happened was essential to Percy's recovery. Knowing that and figuring out how to do it though were two different things. Right now it was easier to concentrate on his physical needs but I knew that would only be enough for so long. Once Percy was strong enough, if he didn't feel those things then nothing was going to stop him from leaving for his apartment in London.

Though I often felt that as the oldest it was my responsibility to stay strong fo the others, I could feel that resolve slipping away as I sat across the table from my younger brother. Was it so wrong for me to admit that I didn't have all the answers? That I wasn't as invincible as I tried to appear.

"I feel like I'm in over my head," I admitted softly, deciding that showing a small bit of weakness would be beneficial for me.

This time it was George who reached across the table to rest his hand on my mind.

"You're not alone, Bill. I'll help in anyway I can."

I took a deep breath and nodded, trying to collect myself again. George was right. I wasn't alone. I had him and Fleur and the rest of our family if I needed them for support.

"Thanks, George," I told him, placing my other hand on top the one my brother's hand resting on my arm.


End file.
